Ruth Burleigh, Bend’s first woman mayor, dies at 98, leaving a long, deep legacy of civic and community involvement

From Bend's first hospice to citywide sewer system, 'she did a lot of amazing things'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Ruth Burleigh, for whom serving as Bend’s first woman mayor was just one part of a long life full of civic and community involvement and accomplishments, has died at the age of 98.

Burleigh died Friday at Partners in Care Hospice House in Bend – and that itself was a fitting tribute, as decades ago, Burleigh helped bring the then-new hospice movement from Europe to Central Oregon in the wake of her mother’s death from cancer.

“One of the things Ruth would say was, ‘Well, I just saw a need and tried to find a solution,’” recalled Jamie Burleigh, who married Tim Burleigh, the youngest of her three sons. “She did a lot of amazing things.”

From a childhood in logging camps without electricity to moving to Bend at age 20 to be the lab tech at the first St. Charles on Hospital Hill, and through her time as a city commissioner and then mayor, helping secure federal funding for the city’s sewer system, Burleigh “was kind of a visionary,” said friend Cheryl Blake Tillman. “She was ahead of her time. She created the Bend we have today.”

On a more personal level, Tillman said, “She was the kind of person who saw the good in everything. She was the most positive, inspirational person - I aspire to be half of that person in my lifetime!”

“She was just happy in the moment. She loved nature. We went out on fall drives, and she could tell you the Latin name and common name for everything she saw. She’d say, ‘Oh, stop!’ – there’s a thunder egg in the middle of the road.”

Kelly Cannon-Miller, executive director of the Deschutes Historical Society, put it this way:: "What a life she lived!"

"Ruth was the type of leader we all should aspire to be and follow--just honestly, one of the best humans I have ever known," Cannon-Miller said.

"Listening was her super power -- she genuinely cared about the stories of others, partly fueled by her great love of learning and great curiosity. That super power led to empathy and understanding, which she then applied her problem-solving skills to.

"So much of her leadership in Bend and the county happened during eras when the community was economically struggling, and it required creative, collaborative solutions. But at the core of her service, not matter what the task, she always wanted to make life better for others. That was how she approached life, not just when she was in office," Cannon-Miller added.

As the family prepared the obituary that you can read below, close friend Ann Malkin said: “Her legacy of service is just astounding, especially if you look at it all in one place. I knew a lot of it, but the totality is just incredible.”

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Ruth Ray Burleigh, a beloved mother, friend, and Bend community leader, died in Bend on Friday, October 25, 2024, at the age of 98.  Ruth served as the first woman mayor of Bend and her decades of dedicated public service were instrumental in shaping the city she loved.

Ruth was born on March 25, 1926, the daughter of Ray and Nora Cox in Marshfield, Oregon (now Coos Bay).  She grew up in the rough and tumble world of logging camps up the Coquille River in Coos County.  Lucky to be raised by “two parents who were adults” as she often remarked, Ruth reveled in the love of her family, including her beloved older brother Lee Cox, and the adventure of growing up in the forests of Oregon. In logging camp, she developed her deep love and sense of wonder for the natural world that sustained her throughout her life. She spoke often of her father, who had lost an arm in childhood, but was rugged and self-sufficient, creating a career as a logger who “could do anything a man with two arms could do.” Even in the depths of The Great Depression of the 1930s, she described a childhood free from want and a family that shared the bounty of their garden and the game that they shot with those who had less.

As she entered her teens, she moved to Eugene, where her mother ran a boarding house.  Ruth thrilled at the prospect of a library down the street, the chance to ride a bicycle on pavement, violin lessons, and new friendships that spanned decades.  She particularly enjoyed spending time with her aunt and uncle, Woodie and Ruthie Hindman.  Woodie developed the iconic double-ended McKenzie River boat and was known as a pioneer and premiere river guide in the early days of whitewater rafting.  Ruth loved the impromptu adventures she had with the adventuresome duo. Despite her “city life” in Eugene, she got lots of time on the river, on the ski slopes, and in the woods with them.  Ruth graduated from Eugene High School, attended the University of Oregon, and completed her training at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland to become a medical technologist.

In 1946, she heard about a laboratory job at St. Charles Hospital in the tiny town of Bend.  She arrived in October to start work at the hospital on the hill, intending to stay perhaps a year or two.  But Bend soon won her heart, as did a young fireman named Van Burleigh.  They were married on January 8, 1948, and shared years of adventures, camping, hiking, and fly-fishing all over Central Oregon.  As their family grew to include three boys, they didn’t miss a beat, loading up the car and often pitching camp in the dark after the work week was done.

Sadly, Van died in 1977, just as Ruth was beginning to become more involved in the civic and governmental service that was to mark her life for decades to come. After serving for three years on the city’s budget board, she was appointed (and later elected) to the Bend City Commission (as the city council was known then), serving from 1974 to 1986.  The council elected her to serve as Bend’s first woman mayor in 1978 and again in 1981.  In 1985, she was elected the first woman president of the League of Oregon Cities (which represents all municipal governments in Oregon) and was the city’s representative to the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, which she also chaired.

Among Ruth’s proudest accomplishments while on the city commission was traveling with City Manager Art Johnson to Washington, D.C., to help successfully secure the federal funding needed to build Bend’s first citywide sewer system. But that was far from the only mark she left on the growing city.

She served as the Memorial Chair for Bend’s American Cancer Society chapter in 1961, often staying up late at night after putting her sons to bed to prepare handwritten thank-you notes for each contribution.  She was a local and state officer in the League of Women Voters.  In 1978, she served the board that helped establish Hospice of Bend and, in 1988, served as co-chair on the campaign to build a new city hall. Statewide measures did not escape her notice, either. She was on the committee whose work led to the adoption of vote by mail in Oregon in the 1980s.

True to her lifelong passion for reading, Ruth served on the Deschutes Public Library Foundation board and was co-chair of the committee to establish the library taxing district and build the Downtown Bend Library in 1997.  She marked the construction of the library as one of her proudest accomplishments, along with spearheading the effort to get a new elementary school named for Jack Ensworth, an exemplary teacher who made a huge impact on many children’s lives at Kenwood School.

The list of her involvement and memberships over the years also includes Allied Arts, the Deschutes Historical Society, the Bend Garden Club, the Bend Chamber of Commerce, The Dorothys Book Club, the Ladies’ Dinner Club, the Hiking Club, and the Food Pantry Leadership Team at Nativity Lutheran Church. She was named Pioneer Queen by the Deschutes Pioneers Association in 2013.

Her approach to public service was based on one simple idea, which she expressed in an interview about helping to start Hospice of Bend:  “There was a need in our community that wasn’t being met, so I worked with others to create a solution.”  And that was how she approached everything: with honesty, straight talk, collaborative leadership, and a desire to make her community better.

Ruth was a loyal friend whose connections with others ran deep. A pen-pal opportunity in grade school led to a 65-year correspondence, multiple visits on both sides of the Pacific, and years of wonderful friendship.  Ruth had friends around the globe and friends of all ages.  She never tired of meeting new people and learning about their lives.  She had the rare ability to listen deeply and to see and accept other people for who they were.

Ruth worked in the laboratory at St. Charles until 1991 and continued on call with the Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Prineville from 1991-1999.

In 2004, she met Dave Brown, and their partnership and love of the outdoors led to thousands of miles of road trips, finding wildflowers, watching birds, and exploring out-of-way spots.  They loved gardening, reading, and cooking together.  When Ruth got too busy at home, Dave would say, “That can wait.  Let’s go.” And he’d have the food, drinks, and binoculars all packed for a road trip by the time she was ready. They shared many happy years before Dave died in 2020.

The greatest joy and source of pride in Ruth’s life was her family.  She is survived by her sons Bill Burleigh (and wife Debbie) of Eugene, Glenn Burleigh (and wife Gail Tague) of Bend, and Tim Burleigh (and wife Jamie) of Madras; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, her husband Van Burleigh, and Dave Brown.

Plans for services are pending.